The Evolution of Mass Notification at University of Otago

Talkaphone / The Evolution of Mass Notification at University of Otago

The Evolution of Mass Notification at University of Otago

The University of Otago has installed Talk-A-Phone’s ETP-400 Series Emergency Phones throughout the campus in a variety of mounts, including mass notification ready emergency phone towers. The University of Otago is using WEBS Contact to send audio broadcasts to various groups of paging units to alert campus population of an incident.

College Campuses around the World offer one of the most varied and challenging environments for a security professional. Their large, mobile and relatively young population is often eager to enjoy and experience their newfound freedoms. The various types of buildings, large and small, with often-significant open space between them, provide additional challenges. Whether the campuses are located in urban centers or smaller towns, the potential exists for crimes against both property and person.

University of Otago in New Zealand has recently installed Talk-A-Phone equipment, revamping the emergency communication systems and bringing piece of mind to their residents.

In an emergency situation where immediate communications were necessary, a specific message could be broadcast such as telling people to stay in a building, or get out of a building, or to move to a particular area

Andrew Ferguson
Deputy Proctor
University of Otago

When lost or needing assistance on the University of Otago campus, look for newly installed Emergency Phone towers with WEBS. The University selected Talk-A-Phone Model WEBS-MT/R Towers with a Safety Blue light/strobe mounted on top of the tower from a variety of custom colors available.

Sixteen newly installed emergency phones are continuously lit, calling attention to the location of the tower and the phone. Once the emergency button is pushed, a rapidly flashing strobe light alerts everyone in the area that the phone has been activated.

The Emergency Phone towers made by Talk-A-Phone Co. allow the caller to simply push the button and speak directly to the Campus Watch office, which is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new phones are not only highly visible and easily accessible, but they also have the broadcasting capability.

The Wide-area Emergency Broadcast System, which is called WEBS, allows the system to instantly relay messages to intended recipients in case of a fire, civil defense emergencies or natural disasters. It can also be used for crowd control.

“In an emergency situation where immediate communications were necessary, a specific message could be broadcast such as telling people to stay in a building, or get out of a building, or to move to a particular area”, explained Deputy Proctor Andy Ferguson.

University of Otago is the first installation of its kind in New Zealand. In the United States the recent Clery Act amendment mandates educational institutions to implement Mass Notification systems.